Chapter 8: The Academy Overlord |
At the same time Lino was simulating fungal cultivation at his residence, the Kram Cigarette Factory was welcoming a large group of students.
The factory's main building was a heavily fortified tower. It was a magnificent structure, over seventy stories tall, falling only slightly short of the Lower Hive's ceiling.
A five-meter-tall perimeter wall surrounded the building, its top lined with electrified barbed wire.
Other than the doors and windows in the first-floor visitor's hall, the rest of the building was completely sealed off, without a single window.
Students from the Underhive academy had gathered in the plaza in front of the building.
The academy's full name was the Volgais Charity Academy.
Eighteen years ago, to commemorate the birth of his daughter, the planetary governor, Lord Vugas, established charity academies across the major districts of the Lower Hive.
Thanks to Lord Vugas's benevolence and foresight, the Hive City's current literacy rate was far higher than that of other imperial worlds, and its total industrial output ranked among the highest in Segmentum Solar.
The charity academy operated on a half-day schedule and only had three grade levels.
The students waiting in line at the plaza had all finished their second year and were preparing to choose one of the trades offered by the academy as their future career path.
They were in luck; the most sought-after jobs in the Underhive were extending invitations to them today.
"I want to be a supervisor on the assembly line. That way, I can sneak a little tobacco home every day, hehehe..."
A boy rubbed his hands together excitedly, grinning from ear to ear as if he had already been officially accepted as an apprentice.
"Sneaking tobacco home? You're unbelievable." Another boy rolled his eyes, a look of utter disgust on his face.
"Don't you know the cigarette factory is covered in surveillance? You'd probably be arrested by the enforcers the moment you step foot outside. If you ask me, the laboratory has more of a future. As long as I discover three new strains of yeast, I can become a research team leader. Who knows, I might even get into the Pharmacists Association."
"Tch, after all these years, the Pharmacists Association has already turned the Lower Hive upside down. There aren't any new yeast strains left for you to find."
"It's still better than wasting your life away on the assembly line..."
"Say that again! Who's wasting their life away? My family has been supervisors for three generations..."
The two boys bickered in the crowd, while the surrounding students jeered and joined in on the commotion.
The security personnel stationed around the plaza prepared to step in and stop them.
Before they could, a cold, stern female voice forcefully interrupted the argument.
"Everyone, be quiet! If you have time to argue, you'd be better off spending it reviewing! If you don't hurry up and study, you won't even pass the easiest exam later, let alone become an apprentice at the cigarette factory!"
The girl who spoke stood with her hands on her hips, feet planted apart. Her pretty face held a maturity that belied her age. Her voice was full of vigor, and her presence was commanding.
The bickering boys shuddered in unison. They buried their heads, opened the books in their hands, and pretended to read earnestly.
The students who had been watching the spectacle did the same, bowing their heads to read in a gesture of submission to the speaker.
They had no choice but to submit.
She was the academy director's daughter, Amy Marz.
Whether it was her academic performance, her breadth of knowledge, or her status within the academy, Amy completely outclassed the other students.
Anyone who dared to defy her could expect to be expelled from the academy the very next day and sent off to play in the mud at the black beach.
The scene fell dead silent, save for the rustling of turning pages.
But this tranquility was short-lived, broken by a sudden mutter.
"Uh? There are this many people?"
"Tch—" Amy absolutely hated being disturbed while reading.
She clicked her tongue impatiently, knitting her delicate brows as she glared toward the entrance.
She had wanted to tell the new arrival to quiet down, but she froze when she saw a familiar face she hadn't seen in days.
...
"Sorry, please continue reading. I'll wait on the side."
Lino passed through the security check at the entrance and stepped into the small plaza, only to be met with a massive crowd of students staring right at him.
The closest person to him was a short-haired girl with a slightly chubby baby face. Her eyes were clear and bright, making her look somewhat cute, yet she wore a fierce expression. Her brows were furrowed sharply inward, making it obvious that she was furious.
Lino felt the oppressive aura radiating from the top student. Realizing immediately that he had interrupted her reading, he hastily forced a smile, apologized, and stepped out of the way.
"Huh? Isn't that Lino? Why is he here? Does he even meet the registration requirements?"
"Anyone who's finished studying Low Gothic and math can register. But... heh, I have a feeling he won't even pass the first exam. It's been days since he last looked at a book. He probably doesn't even know how to draw a coordinate system anymore."
"Quiet," Amy said coldly.
The murmurs vanished.
Lino stood at the edge of the plaza.
He heard the students' snide remarks about him, but so what?
He had outgrown puberty a long time ago. There was no need to act like a hot-blooded teenager and argue with a bunch of brats.
However, in Amy's eyes, Lino's calm and composed demeanor looked like he had just given up on himself.
In Amy's impression, Lino's family didn't seem very well off, and he had a withdrawn, introverted personality. Fortunately, his grades had always been among the best.
It would be a real shame to watch him get eliminated in the very first exam.
Thinking this, Amy pulled her Low Gothic textbook out of her satchel and walked over to him.
"Lino, the first exam tests the Low Gothic we've learned at the academy. Don't let your guard down. I've finished reading this book, so I'll lend it to you for now. Remember to return it to me before we leave later."
By this time, Lino had already recalled who the young girl standing before him was.
Wasn't this the academy's famous top student and wealthy heiress?
The original owner of this body seemed to have had a decent relationship with her, carrying a hint of mutual respect between top scholars.
Lino smiled and accepted the textbook with both hands.
"Thank you, Amy. I'll remember to return it."
Amy clenched her right hand into a fist, raised her forearm vertically in front of her chest, stiffened her body, and stared with blazing eyes.
"Keep it up and don't give up. Study for the future of the Imperium of Man."
Having said her piece, Amy returned to the end of the line and resumed reading.
Lino, however, stood frozen in place, quite taken aback by her behavior.
This...
Was this that peculiar lack of self-awareness unique to teenagers? It was hopelessly melodramatic.
Casting a casual glance around, Lino witnessed something unexpected.
The students weren't surprised by Amy's actions in the slightest, nor were they secretly laughing at her. Instead, they grew dead serious, as if the future of the Imperium of Man truly rested squarely upon their shoulders.
Only then did Lino remember something.
Before formally studying Low Gothic, the students attended a few introductory classes to understand the current state of the Imperium of Man.
As a result, the students were familiar with concepts like the Hive City, Terran time, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and Psykers. They had also been instilled with the conviction to strive upward.
Of course, the introductory classes didn't touch upon dangerous knowledge regarding The Warp. The students only knew about psionic energy; they had no idea about its connection to The Warp.
The phrase Amy had just spoken was something the students chanted in unison every day before class, which was why no one found it strange.
Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. Lino calmed his mind and began to read.
Half an hour later, accompanied by the mechanical grinding of interlocking gears, the building's main doors opened under the drive of a hydraulic system.
